The Middle East Media Sampler 6/8/2012: NGO's Ignore Abbas Crushing Free Speech

From DG:

1) Shooting the messenger

In his tendentious defense of the New York Times, Israel in The New York Times Over the Decades:A Changed Narrative and Its Impact on Jewish Readers,  Neil Lewis explains that one of the factors influencing the change in the way Israel was covered by the paper was:

The development of non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) within Israel as advocates for the Palestinians which gave Western journalists a ready and credible source which could be used to criticize the Israeli government.

According to Lewis the NGO's are "credible," but he offers no evidence of this. It's just something he takes on faith.

Syrian Opposition: Down But Not Out

In Syrian Regime Resembles Mafia Cartel, Der Spiegel is reporting that although the Syrian regime seems to be gaining momentum in quashing the rebellion--the opposition against Assad is actually growing:

On the one hand, the regime's military machine is taking city after city. After capturing Baba Amr and now Idlib in the north, it is now attacking Daraa in the south. Residential neighborhoods are shelled by tanks and artillery. There are reports of people executed with shots to the head, corpses found with their eyes poked out and children beaten to death.

Video: The Slaughter In Homs, Syria, Including Interview Of French Cameraman

Here is a video of fighting between the Syrian regime and the Free Syrian Army in Homs, Syria--from Britain's Channel 4 News. It uses footage by a French cameraman:

What Export Is Lebanon And Iran Sharing With Syria? Snipers

If you are a leading patron of terrorism like Iran, or like Lebanon--the home of a leading terrorist group like Hezbollah: what kind of exports can you offer the murderous regime of Assad in Syria?

It ain't oranges.

Syrian regime 'importing snipers' for protests

Barry Rubin: Why Syria’s Regime is Surviving a Revolution

The following from Barry Rubin is reposted with permission:

Why Syria’s Regime is Surviving a Revolution

By Barry Rubin

Despite what is now the longest-running revolution in Middle Eastern history, the Syrian regime will probably be in power on December 31, 2012. I don’t say that because it’s what I want to happen—Syria’s revolution is more democratic-minded than those in Libya or Egypt; the government is far more repressive than the former dictatorships in Tunisia or Egypt—but because it seems inevitable.

Why is it that after so many months of massive demonstrations and really bloody repression, that President Bashar al-Assad seems likely to survive? Of course no one knows what will happen but there are three reasons to think that Assad's regime is surviving, though the cost of that is a great deal of suffering and the wrecking of the country.

‘400 Children Among 6,200 Killed In Syria’

The Arab Times in Kuwait is reporting ‘400 children among 6,200 killed in Syria’:

More than 6,200 people including hundreds of children have died in Syria’s crackdown on an anti-government revolt, a human rights group said on Thursday.